Author: N7ONP

Starting the new year can be problematic. Do I change things or do I
leave well enough alone? If I do change things, what things do I change and to
what extent do I change them? Some things get changed for you. I am no
longer President of Lincoln County Amateur Radio Club, I’m beginning to feel
my age, and my family responsibilities have increased. Some things you are in
the driver’s seat and can decide direction, speed and duration. Then there are
those things you would LIKE to change and which you must conjure up the
resources to affect that change if you want to accomplish them.

Changes I want to make for my amateur radio life can be easily listed and
can be difficult to get done. First of all, I must decide which of the lengthy list
I want to work on. Then I have to muster the willpower and other resources to
get started. The biggest problem to getting started is always the “circle of
projects”. That is to start this project I need these tools and items. I know I
own all those tools and items … but I must FIND all those tools and items.
My mind says, “It would be far easier to round those items up if you just
clean and organize your shop.” Alas! Now I’m off course! I’m cleaning and
organizing instead of trouble shooting that Hallicrafter’s SX-100! But relax
Chuckie, you just found that VTVM (Vacuum Tube Volt Meter) that you will
find very useful when trouble shooting! See, you are making progress! You
are starting on the project!

But look, when I plug the VTVM in it isn’t working! Probably just one of
the tubes. Get out the Tube Tester and check the tubes. How much trouble is
that? Where are you going to set the tube tester? Clear that work bench and set
it there. OK

Oh, look, there is that box of vacuum tubes I was given last year. I might
as well test them too. Kill two birds as they say. Three hours later and the box
of tubes are tested, dead ones discarded, good ones boxed and labeled and
numerically stored with all the other vacuum tubes! Good job, Chuckie!
Oh, I forgot to check the tubes in the VTVM. Well how much time can
that take? There are only a few. Common ones too. This isn’t going to be a
problem at all! There, it only took 45 minutes and all the tubes are checked and
they were all good! OH! That means the problem is elsewhere. Where is the
manual for that meter? 45 minutes of going though the files and Voila there it
is a printout from the internet. I must have done that when I got the meter.
Good for you Chuckie!

So, would you look at that fried resistor and the two capacitors leaking
wax! This thing is older than I thought. 30 minutes and I have found replacements for the capacitors and the resistor. Get the soldering iron on and
remove and replace the three items. Wow! Am I good or am I good? Look at
that; the VTVM is working … except where is all that smoke coming from?
Two hours later, I have a working, non-smoking VTVM. One hour later I
have the tube tester and other equipment put away and the workbench is clear
and usable … OK, relatively clear and usable.

So now you have an idea of how the “circle of projects” works. If all
goes well I should circle my way to working on the Hallicrafter’s SX-100 in a
month or so. Hopefully I will still have the determination to work on it.
The “circle” exists in other part of my life as well. For instance I would
like to relearn CW. I determined that the Koch method would be a good way to
accomplish that goal. I determined which computer to put the program on and
set it up. In setting it up I found that I had begun to load a program which had
a Ham Clock on that computer and began checking the extent to which I had
committed the computer to being the Clock. I then remembered I decided to
put the Ham Clock on a Raspberry Pi.

Where is that Raspberry Pi now? Oh gee, I found three. Why do I have
three? What is on each one? Oh, I think the readers see where THIS is going!
My life can be a series of “circles” if I let it. Fortunately, I can also get projects
into a “linear” status and I can actually accomplish something!
So to the hams who have labored through this piece I wish you a Happy
New Year! Go forth and try new things. Hopefully one or two of those things
will involve amateur radio. Extend your horizons. Try something you have
thought about doing. Contact other hams whether they be within the county,
the state, the United States or around the globe. We are part of a wonderful
hobby that holds possibilities for new experiences, new friends, and new
accomplishments! Experience things with this new year!
Chuck Gerttula, W7CRG 73

“73” Which reminds me of my first effort for this New Years Blog. The
term 73 and how we use it.

We’ve all heard something like the following come across the airwaves.
“Hey, it’s been nice talking with you! I hope we meet again on the bands.
This has been a very interesting QSO. 73.”

I’ve heard something similar to this hundreds of times on the ham bands.
I’ve never thought much about such statements. Today I heard a ham sign off
with “73s”. You will hear “seventy-three” and “seven-threes” often as hams
end their conversations. The intent is to wish the other ham well or have a
good day.

First of all, it is SEVEN THREE. Two numbers not the third number to
show in the seventies. Remember much of our lexicon comes from the beginnings of amateur radio which was Morse Code sent over the radio. Why
did they choose 7 3?

First of all, Morse Code numbers consist of Zero through Nine. There are
no teens, twenties nor seventies, hundreds, thousands, etc.. If you know Morse
Code, which is not my forte I was a novice in 1960’s and very poor at CW, you
know that Seven is . . . – – and Three is – – – . . ! How about that they are the
reverse of each other! Easy to learn, easy to send and easy to hear.
This, like the Q codes was to make sending and receiving CW easier and
faster. Also, like many things from the beginning of our hobby the use and
meaning has been diluted or changed.

Will this explanation make a big difference to anyone in our hobby? I
doubt it. Just an interesting sidelight to add a little depth and verve to our
favorite pastime. “7 3” Chuck W7CRG

Well, Here I am, the month of my birth and 79 years later. That
was of no help in writing this blog except it gave me an excuse for the
muddled thoughts I sometimes write. These months seem to fly by.
Didn’t I just post the September blog??

I know that each ham has different interests and priorities. I like
operating in the HF (High Frequency) bands. I like to think the
stations I reach are interesting new acquaintances and I learn
something about them, their station and their QTH (home location). It
is like being invited to someone’s house for coffee and a chat. For the
extraordinary contact I will send a QSL card and in most cases I will
receive one in return. Yesterday I received a card from W1AW which
is the ARRL’s station at their headquarters in Connecticut. My signal
went from my Icom IC-746Pro up the coax to a folded dipole antenna
30 feet high, which is partially obscured by the roof of the garage,
across the continent to their sophisticated station! Wow!

Of course I have had contacts much farther away but this one was
special as they have been a large part of American ham activities since
the very early days of amateur radio. I am glad to have the QSL card
to confirm our QSO. I don’t have a good open space in my shack to
display my cards so I scan them and use the file containing those cards
to create my computer screen’s wallpaper. It changes from card to
card constantly every 20 seconds.

Another pursuit many Hams have is being a volunteer. I’m
guessing we have members of LCARC who have volunteered for
committees, community positions, church positions, activities to help
others such as food banks and lets not forget ACS. When the need
was there for help, other than communication duties, Jenny Maris has
found hams stepping up to assist. Then of course the communication
duties are always the most interesting to help with.

Those studying for their license often mention such quotes as;
“When all else fails …” Which tells us that they view ham radio as a
resource in times of need or catastrophic events. It’s true, hams can
continue to communicate when other means are no longer
functioning. Cell phones are great but they depend on towers and the
tower depends on a source of electricity which may have backup to
the power grid but when the fuel runs out or the batteries discharge the
system fails. Also, the cell phone operator needs to know the phone
number to call for help and assistance and 911 is not always the
number to call.

Such activities as the “Noon time Net” on the Cape Foulweather
145.370 Mhz repeater are great training. “Training” you ask? Yes, for
those who help out and fill in when W7ALX is not able to run the net
that experience is invaluable. During an emergency or event, a Net
Control may not be available. Someone needs to step in and get the
communication started. If you have done it before in an informal
situation, you will be more at ease and do a better job in an
emergency. But, just picking up that microphone and pushing the PTT
(Push To Talk) button is a major step for some hams. Across the
nation clubs offer courses with titles like “I got my license, now
what?”

People in general, and new hams in particular, are reticent to
make themselves look foolish or inept. We all started somewhere and
have made mistakes everywhere. We have been tongue-tied or lost
our train of thought while talking on the radio. As central to our ham
identity as our call sign is many of us have “forgotten” it or misstated
it, particularly if it is not a series of letters that flow together such as
KF7WZV which was my old call sign. (I found that using phonetic
letters helped both myself and the stations I was communicating with.
Kilo, Foxtrot, Seven, Whiskey, Zulu, Victor resonated with the other
operator much better than KF7WZV.)

Some of us are by nature quiet whether it be having coffee with
friends, at a meeting, or on a radio net. Others seem to talk easily and
sometimes endlessly. The well thought out expression is often appreciated and more easily taken to heart by the listeners. I knew a ham who used multiple “scripts” for his QSOs. He preferred to use CW or Digital operations as it allowed him to communicate without having to talk. As I learned, he had slight speech impediment as a child and it has always made him self-conscious when speaking, even though he had lost any impediment.

These are some of the things that make our hobby so adaptable.
No matter what our abilities or interests we can find a niche in
amateur radio. I just read a blog from the Eugene radio club and a
woman who is by no means a “techie” has become fascinated with
moon bounce. Her husband is a ham and she got a license because of
him. But poetry rather than radios and antennas were her interest.
Then somehow sending a signal a quarter million miles into space,
hitting the moon’s surface, and reflecting it back to earth became a
fascination!

We all need to find interests within our hobby to keep it relevant
to us. We may not even see it coming. It may sneak up on us and all
of a sudden – Wow! 73 Chuck Gerttula W7CRG

I was born and raised in Lincoln County.  I lived in Taft which is now a district of Lincoln City.  Our house my father built was on “Taft Heights” and looked out to the ocean from the front and Siletz Bay from the back porch. 

          We didn’t have television until I was in the seventh grade, about 1957.  It was a huge 24 inch black and white that my dad built into the end of the living room and was part of a state-of-the-art High Fidelity (not stereo) sound system.  Dad was a real craftsman and the mahogany cabinet was a work of art!  A company from the Portland area sold him the electronics and provided hookup instructions.  The TV signal was provided by an antenna and rotor on the roof and my brother and I were the “remote controls”.

          With that picture of my childhood reality, one can understand that radio was a large part of my early entertainment.  I listened to and was thrilled as each week a new episode of “The Lone Ranger” came to me via the Halicrafters S-38B’s speaker.  “The Lone Ranger and Tonto camped in a grove of cottonwoods just outside of town ….”  I imagined the old west to be a bunch of small towns all having a grove of cottonwoods nearby.

          Radio programs like “Big John and Sparky”, “The Whistler” and “Captain Midnight” came to life through my little Halicrafters speaker and my imagination!  Occasionally I would search the shortwave frequencies and hear boats operating up and down the coast, or a foreign country’s broadcast and sometimes ham radio usually having a “rag chew session” on 75 meters.

          The cable system was just getting started and was run by Carl Schmauder who lived in Wecoma Beach at the north end of what is now Lincoln City which was then a bunch of small cities and communities: Cutler City, Taft, Nelscott, Delake, Oceanlake, Wecoma Beach and Roads End.  Carl was the mainstay of the cable system. I remember him driving his pickup around and working on the cable strung from pole to pole wearing a climbing belt and spurs.   I thought it would be so neat to climb up those poles and work on whatever while suspended by that belt.

          As we know, antennas on the Oregon coast are not maintenance free!  Carl had approached  Dad on numerous occasions to hookup to the cable and Dad always declined as his antenna and rotor “were doing just fine”.  But Carl drove by one day as Dad was on the roof working on the antenna/rotor, connecting cables and guy wires.  “Say Ben, that’s a lot of work and that shake roof can be awfully slick here on the coast.  Why don’t you let me help you bring that antenna and rotor down and I’ll hook you up to the cable.  That way the maintenance is my job and you’ll get more channels and better reception.”  It was an opportune timing and Dad became another of Carl Schmauder’s customers and we had snow-free reception on multiple channels!

          Right now you are probably wondering, “This is all well and kind of interesting, Chuck; but, what does it have to do with amateur radio?”  Well, Carl was a ham and a few years later when I was in high school, he was one of my “Elmers” that helped me get my Novice ticket, KN7ORZ dated March 9, 1962  (Yes, I found the notification from the FCC a number of years ago and have kept it with my other and more recent licenses).  It started a fascination with electronics and radio that blossomed and waned over the years but has always kept my interest and now as an Extra is a wonderful hobby!  Mentors like Carl are a wonderful resource for amateurs!  They take a seed of interest and help it develop into thriving plant.  I sometimes hear or read of a ham asking a question that seems so simple.  Then I remember there was a time when such a question wasn’t so simple!

          We need more Elmers!  An Elmer can be a technical whiz or more often just a helping hand or an opinion.  Someone to help or advise on some of the myriad of questions a new (or not-so-new) ham can have.  Someone who is willing to take the time to teach; or to help install an antenna; put that mobile radio in a vehicle; or show how to have a  QSO and pickup that signal that is elusive.  Sure, one person can install a dipole antenna; I’ve done it.  But it can be exhausting and frustrating and take many times longer than if two or more helpers are there.  Little things like waterproofing the coax connection or using the right kind of line to hold it in place can make such a difference immediately and down the road!  How disappointing when you find your antenna on the ground because the line you used to suspend it has deteriorated from the sun’s UV rays and broken!

          I remember not so long ago I thought 15 meters was a dead band.  Then I got some advice to use the pre-amp on my transceiver (I have a pre-amp? Oh yeah I do it’s that little button there!) and tune the band more slowly and, zounds, there were signals there!  Those signals became contacts and 15 meters has become a band I visit.

          Helping others not only is beneficial to the person needing assistance; it can bring satisfaction to those giving the assistance.  Stretch yourself, Elmer.  Maybe you don’t think you are experienced enough to Elmer; your support can often mean a lot to a struggling ham.  Who knows how much you might learn while helping another ham or want-to-be ham work through a problem?

          The memories can last a lifetime.  I remember had a storefront on Hwy 101 in Oceanlake.  If I drove by I would stop to ask a question or chat when I saw he was there. One time Carl invited me to his house to see his station!  It was much like the ham stations pictured in magazines but better!  This was a real amateur radio station!  The room’s walls were covered with the bottoms of egg cartons to provide sound deadening.  He had a display of QSL cards from special contacts around the world.  On his operating desk was a Halicrafters SX-100 receiver and a Multi-Emac Trans-Citer to drive his amplifier.  All those glowing tubes, all those switches, it was so mesmerizing to a 16 year old kid!  I was hooked for life!  I still have a special place in my head for equipment using vacuum tubes … and in my radio shack as well!

          Mentoring is teaching and after 30 years in education I can truthfully say teaching was seldom monetarily rewarding (at one time I worked as a teacher, soldier, grocery store worker and fire fighter to make ends meet and provide for my three children) but the thrill of getting a student to grasp a concept has always been a tremendously rewarding occurrence!  One of the best things about our hobby is that there is always something more to learn.  Often times by teaching you learn more than you give to the student.  Many of you already are helpful to other hams.  Thank you!  To the rest, if an occasion comes your way help a ham. 

Chuck Gerttula   W7CRG